A full list of what the future might hold for London’s transport network

By Joe Talora, local democracy reporter

Last week saw the opening of the Northern Line extension, the first new addition to the line this century.

Work on the £1.1 billion project began in 2015 and has seen the addition of new Tube stations at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station which opened last week to scores of excited enthusiasts and commuters.

TfL commissioner Andy Byford has said the extension is an example of how major transport schemes can transform an area and suggested, “there’s more where that came from”.

But with the current emergency funding deal for TfL only set to cover until December 11 and huge savings still yet to be made, Mr Byford has said future projects may depend on whether a long-term funding deal can be agreed.

With a handful of major transport projects in the pipeline and uncertainty over TfL’s financial situation persisting, here is what the future might hold for London’s transport network.

Crossrail

Crossrail is perhaps the most well-known – and controversial – ongoing transport project in London.

Already three years behind schedule and more than £4 billion over budget, the proposed rail link between Heathrow and Reading in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east has been the subject of much scrutiny.

But it looks like there may be hope yet for the project which was supposed to open in December 2018.

The main section of Crossrail, which will become known as the Elizabeth Line when it opens, is now expected to launch within the first half of 2022.

Speaking last month, Crossrail CEO Mark Wild said “we’re very much on target for the first half of 2022”.

Though it was expected slightly earlier, it now seems as if the Elizabeth Line will open no earlier than May after it was revealed that trial runs of trains had shown “poor” reliability.

Coming in at a cost of around £18.7 billion, the Elizabeth Line will eventually serve 41 stations and allow passengers to travel from Heathrow Airport to Canary Wharf within 30 minutes.

Mark Wild has said that the line will act as “an engine of economic activity” for the capital and will be “fundamental” to London’s economic recovery.

While the first part of the Elizabeth Line is expected to open next year, passengers will not be able to travel directly from Heathrow or Reading to Shenfield or Abbey Wood.

Until all upgrade works are completed, Crossrail will operate as three separate railways. Passengers have to change at Paddington for services towards Heathrow or at Liverpool Street for services toward Shenfield.

But TfL commissioner Andy Byford recently revealed the full opening of the line is nine months ahead of schedule. Trains are expected to run directly from Reading to Shenfield by September 2022 instead of May 2023 as originally thought.

Crossrail is expected to enter a “trial phase” as early as November which will involve a “dress rehearsal” of a full service to test for all eventualities.

This 12-week process will be the final stage before the line opens.

Crossrail 2

Although the original has not yet been released, TfL already has plans for a sequel to one its most ambitious projects.

The proposed Crossrail 2 line would provide a rail link between Hertfordshire and Surrey, running from Broxbourne through London and serving destinations such as Hampton Court and Epsom.

But while Crossrail (the original) seems to be edging closer to the finish line, Crossrail 2 is yet to even get started.

Following a public consultation in 2015, the route was proposed to be in operation by the early 2030s as a means of easing overcrowding on commuter services.

But all the way back in March this year, TfL commissioner Andy Byford revealed the project was “on hold” due to TfL’s well-documented financial woes as a result of the pandemic.

Mr Byford told City Hall in March that there was a “good business case” for the project, but that the focus should be to “finish what’s already started”.

But even with the Northern Line extension now completed and work on the Elizabeth Line drawing to a close, commuters are still unlikely to see Crossrail 2 for some time.

This July, Deputy Mayor for Transport Heidi Alexander said a deferral of capital projects was “the reality that the current funding settlement has created for us”.

TfL must still make savings of £300 million this year as a condition of the Government’s most recent bailout which only covers London’s transport network until December.

Ms Alexander said she hoped that Crossrail 2 plans could resume “at some point in the future, when we have a better picture of demand for public transport and how the economy is doing” following the pandemic.

Bakerloo Line Extension

Another project has been confirmed as being “on hold” by the TfL commissioner is the proposed extension of the Bakerloo Line.

Consultations for the extension first took place in 2014 before subsequent consultations in 2017 and 2019 created a clearer idea of what the new route would look like.

TfL’s plan was to extend the Bakerloo Line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham, building two new Tube stations along Old Kent Road and a new station at New Cross Gate.

The 2019 consultation also outlined plans for a further extension of the line from Lewisham to Hayes and Beckenham at a later date.

But, as with Crossrail 2, the plans have been scuppered by the Covid-19 pandemic and the fragile state of TfL’s finances.

When Andy Byford first revealed the project – along with Crossrail 2 – was on hold in March. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had only a week prior issued guidance safeguarding the proposed route of the extension so land needed for the project could not be used for another purpose.

It now appears as though the Bakerloo Line extension will not see the light of day until at least the next decade.

TfL has said it “remains committed to delivering the Bakerloo Line extension”, but it is dependent on a “viable funding package being put together” by the Government.

DLR Extension

An important and often overlooked part of the London transport network is the Docklands Light Railway which serves central and east London.

In December 2020, TfL announced it had began work exploring the feasibility of extending the DLR across the Thames from Newham to Thamesmead.

The proposals would see two new stations built at Beckton Riverside and south of the river at Thamesmead, extending the current DLR line from Gallion’s Reach station.

East London is seen as a key area of economic opportunity by the GLA and will soon be its new home when City Hall is vacated later this year ahead of a move to The Crystal on the Royal Docks.

TfL is keen to see the DLR extended due to the potential for up to 25,000 new homes to be built along the new route, along with potential new transport options including a rapid bus corridor and new cycling links.

Speaking in July, Heidi Alexander suggested the DLR extension could “move up the pecking order” of transport projects due to it being more affordable than other projects, meaning it could see the light of day before the end of the decade.

HS2

Though it is a national infrastructure project and not in the remit of TfL, High Speed 2 will nevertheless have a big impact on London when it opens.

HS2 will provide a high-speed rail link between a new terminal at London Euston and a brand-new station in Birmingham before eventually being extended north to Manchester and Leeds.

But, like Crossrail, HS2 has been plagued by delays and soaring costs. MPs warned this week there was “no clear end in sight” for the project.

Delays to work at Euston are thought to have held up the project, though the Department for Transport has said it is “making significant progress delivering HS2”.

The new line will also see a station built at Old Oak Common in west London after planning permission was granted in May last year.

The Old Oak Common station will provide an interchange between HS2, Crossrail and the London Overground.

Silvertown Tunnel

While the controversy surrounding Crossrail has focused on the sheer cost of the project and the multiple delays, the proposed Silvertown Tunnel has proved controversial in other ways.

Sadiq Khan’s decision to push ahead with the four-lane motorway has sparked outrage from climate campaigners, locals and even members of Mr Khan’s own party. The four-lane motorway will run under the Thames connecting Lewisham and Newham.

The Mayor of London and TfL have long been making the case for another river crossing in East London and argue the Silvertown Tunnel will ease congestion from the nearby Blackwall Tunnel, which is frequently closed.

But opponents of the tunnel – of which there are many – question the logic behind a massive road-building project in one of the most polluted areas of the capital while the mayor doubles down on his green credentials, frequently talking up the “bold action” he is taking on climate change.

Mr Khan has said tolls on both the Silvertown Tunnel and Blackwall Tunnel will prevent an increase in traffic, though critics point out there is no guarantee tolls will be implemented.

Despite coming under growing pressure over the project, the Mayor of London has poured cold water on any hope it will be scrapped. He said: “It is not an option.”

The £2.2 billion project is being built and financed by the Riverlinx consortium and will be the first road crossing across the Thames since the QE2 Bridge was opened in 1991.

Tunnelling work is expected to begin in April 2022 while the tunnel itself is expected to open to traffic in 2025.

London Overground Extension

One project passengers will see sooner rather than later is the extension of the London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking line.

The extension will see 4.5km of new track added to the line, extending it beyond Barking to a brand-new station at Barking Riverside. Four trains per hour will depart from Barking to the new station.

The extension of the line is part of a wider measure to capitalise on the development potential of the Barking Riverside area. There are plans for nearly 11,000 new homes as well as new retail and leisure facilities already in the pipeline.